Chang’e 4 Mission Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) The Chang’e Lunar Missions are an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Chang’e 4 Mission is a combination of the Queqiao relay satellite, a Lander, and a Rover. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) Chang’e meaning Next slide

The Queqiao Relay Satellite was launched ahead of Chang’e-4 Mission Launch—May 20, 2018 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province Rocket—Long March 4C rocket Queqiao is in a halo orbit around the Earth-Moon L2 point. A satellite in a halo orbit around L2, which is behind the Moon, will have a view of both the Earth and the far side of the Moon. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/05/queqiao-relay-satellite-launched-change-4-lunar-mission/ A rare image of the Queqiao relay satellite in the Chinese media Earth-Moon L2 point Queqiao meaning Next slide

Chang’e 4 Mission: Mission Facts: Launched—December 7, 2018 Rocket—Chang Zheng 3B (Long March rocket) Launch site—Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province Lunar landing—January 3, 2019 on the far side of the Moon Landing site– the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin (1,600 mile/2,500 km diameter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_4; https://spacewatchme.com/2017/03/saudi-arabia-contribute-chinas-change-4-moon-mission/ Next slide

Chang’e 4 Mission: Mission objectives: While the orbiter will provide communications relay, the lander and rover will carry scientific payloads to study the geophysics of the landing zone The lander will carry a container with seeds and insect eggs to test whether plants and insects could hatch and grow together The lander will also carry international payloads from Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_4; https://spacewatchme.com/2017/03/saudi-arabia-contribute-chinas-change-4-moon-mission/ Payload Next slide

Chang’e 4 Mission: The mission duration of the Lander (right) is 12 months. The mission duration of the Rover (below) is 3 months. https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/01/10/china-begins-2019-launch-campaign-with-a-success/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_4 The rover is named Yutu-2, the Jade Rabbit, which, according to Chinese folklore is a rabbit that lives on the Moon. Yutu meaning Next slide

On January 3, 2019, Chang'e 4 became the first craft ever to safely touch down on the Moon's far side, which forever faces away from Earth (the Moon is "tidally locked" to our planet, so we only ever see the near side). https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/lro-farside.html; https://www.space.com/40646-china-queqiao-moon-relay-satellite-launch.html Nighttime on the far side of the Moon lasts 14 days with temperatures dipping to -297o F (-183o C). Daytime on the far side of the Moon also lasts 14 days with temperatures reaching 260o F (127o C). Next slide

Previous Chang’e Missions: Future Chang’e Missions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_1; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_3; https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-2https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/10/china-lunar-sample-return-test-mission/; https://spacewatchme.com/2017/03/saudi-arabia-contribute-chinas-change-4-moon-mission/ Chang’e 5 Chang’e 6 Click on IMAGE to learn more about that mission Next slide

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China's first unmanned missions to the Moon are named in honor of Chang'e, a Chinese goddess who legends say lives on the Moon and was befriended by Yutu, a White Rabbit. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galleries/chinese-moon-goddess-change Return

The Earth-Moon Lagrange point-2 is a gravitationally stable spot about 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond the lunar far side. https://www.space.com/40646-china-queqiao-moon-relay-satellite-launch.html Queqiao will relay commands and data between the Chang'e 4 Lander and Earth — this is a job the Lander and Rover can't do for themselves, since they are on the far side of the Moon….all that moon rock would get in the way. Return

The name “Queqiao” – which translates to magpie bridge – is derived from a Chinese folktale, according to which the Milky Way separated Zhi Nv, the seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven from meeting her beloved husband, Niu Lang. They were allowed to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. So the magpies on that day grouped to make a bridge with their wings and helped the couple cross over and reach each other. https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e7a67444d77457a6333566d54/share_p.html Return

Chang’e 4 Mission Scientific payload: Lander Rover Lunar Dust Analyzer (LDA) Electric Field Analyzer (EFA) Plasma and Magnetic Field Observation Package (PMFOP) Lunar Seismometer (LS), for internal structure VLF Radio Interferometer (VRI), a type of radio telescope for astronomical observations[1] Neutron dosimeter: Lunar Lander Neutron Dosimetry (LND) project developed by Kiel University in Germany In addition, the lander will carry a container with seeds and insect eggs to test whether plants and insects could hatch and grow together Rover Panoramic camera Ground-penetrating radar Infrared spectrometer Active Source Hammer (ASH) for active source seismic experiments Energetic neutral atom analyzer: Advanced Small Analyzer for Neutrals (ASAN), provided by the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF). It will reveal how solar wind interacts with the lunar surface and perhaps even the process behind the formation of lunar water. Return

China's first unmanned missions to the Moon are named in honor of Chang'e, a Chinese goddess who legends say lives on the Moon and was befriended by Yutu, a White Rabbit. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galleries/chinese-moon-goddess-change Return

Chang’e 1 Mission Mission Facts: Launch—October 24, 2007 Rocket—Chang Zheng 3A (Long March rocket) Launch site—Xichang LC-3, Sichuan Province Orbital insertion—November 5, 2007 End of mission date—March 1, 2009 (impacted the surface of the Moon) Mission objectives: To obtain three-dimensional imagery of the lunar surface To analyze the distribution of useful elements and materials on the lunar surface To probe the features of lunar soil and assess its depth To explore the space environment between the Moon and Earth and above the lunar surface https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-1 Return

Chang’e 2 Mission Mission Facts: Launch—October 1, 2010 Rocket—Chang Zheng 3C (Long March rocket) Launch site—Xichang LC-2, Sichuan Province Orbital insertion—October 6, 2010 Mission duration—planned 6 months; left lunar orbit June 8, 2011; mission on-going (2011 at Lagrange Point L2; 2012 flyby of asteroid 4179 Toutatis; now is conducting a long-term mission to verify China's deep-space tracking and control systems) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_2; https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-2 Mission objectives: To obtain three-dimensional images of the lunar surface with a spatial resolution < 10 meters To explore the composition of lunar surface material To observe the Earth-Moon and near-moon space environment Return

Chang’e 3 Mission Mission Facts: Launch—December 1, 2013 Rocket—Chang Zheng 3B (Long March rocket) Launch site—Xichang LC-2, Sichuan Province Lunar landing—December 14, 2013 (Mare Imbrium) Status—Lander still transmitting as of June 2017 Rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) stopped transmitting August 2016 after 31 months Mission objectives: To soft-land on the moon's surface and deploy an unmanned Lunar Rover to explore the areas surrounding the landing site Carry scientific payloads that are going to be used to study the Moon, other galaxies and stars as well as the near-Earth space environment Lunar surface topography and geology survey, lunar surface material composition and resource survey, Sun-Earth-Moon space environment detection, and lunar-based astronomical observation https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-3; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_3 Return

Chang’e 5 Mission Mission Facts: Launch—end of 2019 Rocket—Chang Zheng 5 (Long March rocket) Launch site—Wenchang Launch Site, Hainan, China Lunar landing—2019 (northwest area of the Moon in the Mons Rumker region) Mission objectives: To land in the Mons Rumker region and return a 2 kg sample of lunar regolith, possibly from as deep as 2 meters Will consist of four modules: two will land on the Moon. One module is designed to collect samples and transfer them to the second module. The second module will ascend from the lunar surface into orbit, and dock with a third module, then transfer to the fourth module, also in lunar orbit. Fourth module will return samples to Earth Instruments: Panoramic Camera (PCAM), Lunar Regolith Penetrating Radar (LRPR) and Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer (LMS) https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-1 Return

Chang’e 6 Mission Mission Facts: Launch—2024 Rocket—Chang Zheng 5 (Long March rocket) Launch site—Wenchang Launch Site, Hainan, China Lunar landing—2024 Mission objectives: Will be China’s second sample return mission The mission is currently speculated to be under development https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-1; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_6 Return